Skins' Linebacker Trio Is Dissolving

Skip Miller

July 09, 1989|By SKIP MILLER Columnist

They didn't even qualify for lunch pails. Nothing but paper bags for these guys. They played football the way little kids give recitals: Chances are they would get the job done, but it sure would be easier on the nerves if they had some help.

Rich Milot at right outside linebacker, Neal Olkewicz at middle linebacker and Mel Kaufman and left outside linebacker. Not exactly the kind of guys your coach always warned you about.

The respect that came their way was the little guy makes good brand. Every year, consensus was they were in the lineup only until somebody better showed up at the equipment room, looking for a jersey numbered 50-something.

Indeed, for much of the Eighties, the book on the Washington Redskins was "weak at linebacker."

Everybody said so.

Yeah. So weak the Redskins went to three Super Bowls and had one of the National Football League's top rushing defenses for much of the decade.

Earlier this week, Kaufman retired. He limped off into that good night where he joined Milot, out of uniform since the 1988 pre-season. Milot was replaced by Wilber Marshall, the All-Everything acquired from the Chicago Bears.

Of the original trio, only Olkewicz will report to camp July 24 with the rest of the veterans, knowing he is one promising rookie away from joining his buddies.

When he shows up, maybe they'll have a beer together. And get a laugh out of all the years they worked together and beat the rap and the odds.

With a handful of exceptions, the Washington Redskins have never been known for outstanding linebackers.

Only five Redskin linebackers have been on the All-Pro teams selected for the past 50 years. Torgy Torgeson, who now coaches the defensive line, was on it twice. Chuck Drazenovich was on it four times. Rod Breedlove and Sam Huff were on it once each. Chris Hanburger was a nine-time member.

Hanburger's last appearance was in 1976. That was also the last appearance by any Redskin linebacker.

Three years after Hanburger's final hurrah, our paper bag boys began arriving. In 1979, Milot was a seventh-round draft choice from Penn State. Olkewicz was a free agent from Maryland. Monte Coleman was an 11th-round pick from Central Arkansas.

By 1981, they had replaced the incumbents - Olkewicz replaced Harold McLinton, Milot went in for Pete Wysocki, and Coleman started ahead of Brad Dusek.

Following the 1981 season, Kaufman was signed as a free agent from Cal Poly. Midway through the 1982 season, he replaced Coleman on the left side. For the next six seasons, depending on which one was injured, the two would take turns starting.

Most of the time, though, it was Milot, Olkewicz and Kaufman. The trio that was too slow and too small. They looked like three guys from the corner pub, being sent out to do a man's job.

With grit and intelligence, they held down key positions in a scheme that put as much premium on linebacker as any other defense in the league.

The Redskins' basic defense calls for four linemen and three linebackers. The linemen control the line of scrimmage, forcing the running backs to the outside. The linebackers do the tackling. Anybody they miss is picked up by the defensive backs.

Somehow, Milot, Olkewicz, and Kaufman always made the play. Their best season was 1983. Each made more than 100 tackles. As a unit, they accounted for seven fumble recoveries, five interceptions and nine quarterback sacks.

They were the trigger men of the best rushing defense in the league. As they prepared for what became a 38-9 loss to the Los Angeles Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII, they sought perspective.

"People still don't know who we are," he said. "We'll go to camp next year and that stuff about the Redskins needing help at linebacker will start all over again."

"Yeah," Olkewicz added, "we're the boring linebackers. We don't have a nickname and we don't do crazy things."

"We just have the instincts," Milot concluded. "We always know where the other guy is."

Especially now that two of them get sideline passes instead of taped ankles.